Ore-separating apparatus.



Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

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ORE SEPARATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED IuLY I2. 191s.

Patented Feb. 12, 19l&

R. P. SAFFOLD.I ORE SEPARATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILE'D JULY I2, |915. 1,256,263. Patented Feb.12,1918.

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RAY I. SAFFOLD, OF DOUGLAS, ARIZONA.

ORE-SEPARATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

Application filed July 12, 1915. Serial No. 39,527.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that RAY P. SArroLD, (whose post-office address is P. O. Box 477,) a citizen of the United States, residing at Douglas, in the county of Cochise and State of Arizona, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ore-Separating Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to improvements in apparatuses for the recovery or separation of precious metals from their ores, and more particularly to that type of apparatus wherein the ore, in pulpy condition, is subjected to the action of suitable chemicals, while in a. state of agitation, and then passed into a selective liquid body where separation obtains, the metal particles or concentrates rising to the upper level of the heavy liquid body and floating or frothing therefrom, while the slimes or tailings pass to the lower level of the latter, the latter being less buoyant, in character, than the metal particles or concentrates for such result.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a comparatively compact, efiicient and inexpensive apparatus of this character, and one in which the percentage of resultant values, to be obtained, is greater than is that of such apparatuses, now known.

With this and other objects in view, the invention resides in the certain new construction to be hereinafter more fully described, set forth in the appended claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawin s, in which igure l is an elevation of the preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, Fig.` 3 isa vertical section on the line 3 3 Fig. Llis a ltransverse section on the line 4-4of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a yvertical section of a modified construction of the same,

Fig..,6 is a top plan of a second modified form thereof,

. Fig. 7 is a transverse section on the line 7 7 of Fig. 5,

Fig. 8 is a top plan view showing almodified construction of .the agitator casing therefor.4

Referring .tothe accompanying drawing,

in which. similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts inthe several views, the numeral -1- denotes a slimes or tailings hopper, of any desired shape and size, supported by or within a suitable base -2-, the same comprising, as shown, a cylindrical body provided with a supporting flange -3- to be secured to the hopper -lby means of rivets or the like A valved out-let -5- is provided for controlling the discharge of the contents of the hopper -1-- and is suitably disposed in the bottom wall -6, of the latter, suitable openings 7M being formed in the cylindrical body or base *2- for access to the same for its operation. EX- tending peripherally of the Vtop edge of the hopper -1-- is a trough-like member or launder -8-, which may be supported or secured thereon in any desired manner, and the same is arranged to incline downwardly throughout its length and terminate in a plane below its starting point or upper end, which is disposed flush with the edge of the hopper. A depending apron -9- connects the inner wall of the launder -8- lwith the top edge of the hopper --1- throughoutits length to direct the flow of material thereto, during the operation of the apparatus. The lower terminal of the launder -8-- is provided with an out-let 10- through which the material passes to a discharge pipe 1l- A casing 12 is disposed vertically of the hopper -1- and is formed` with a fiange 13M by means of which it is positioned centrally of the latter and secured to the wall thereof with suitable fastcnings -14. A series ofbaiiie plates l5 are arranged in spaced relation within and secured in proper position to the wall of the casing I2- by means of suitable fastenings -16-, and are each formed with a centrally disposed opening -17-. Equi- ,distantly spaced around the upper edge of the casing -12- are a series of angularly arranged lugs -18-- adapted to receive and support thereon similar lugs 19-, of a cover-plate 2O-, each coacting pair of lugs -18-4 and -19-- being formed with alined openings for the reception of suitable fastcnings 2l- The Casin' 12 is formed with a conical-shaped ottom wall -22--, belowl which and approximately at the juncture of the flange 13 with the casing -12-, the latter is provided Withbetween the ging formed to provide a shoulder -26-, in-

termediate its ends, which is, in turn, formed I to providejfa .circular channel or raceway opposed to a similar channel or raceway -28-, formed in a bearing plate 29- and adapted to retain a series of ball-bearings 30- therebetween. The bearingplate -29- is keyed at the upper end of a vertically disposed shaft -31- which depends from the cross-bar -25- into the casing -l2- and rests in a recess 32- formed in the bottom wall '-22- for the reception of the lower end thereof. The upper face of the cover-plate --20 is provided' with a centrally disposed bearingshoulder -33-, surrounding an intermediate portion of the shaft -3l-, and is formed with a circular channel or raceway 34- adapted to retain a series of balla second channel -36-, opposed to the channel -34,-, of the bearing-plate 37- carried by and keyed to the shaft -3l. Adjacent the upper end of the shaft -31-,

at a point thereon intermediate the crossbar e25- and the upper face of the coverplate 20-, is arranged and keyed a pulley -38- by means of which power is to be applied for the rotation of the shaft. Spaced along the length of the shaft -31-, cover plate 20 and the bottom wall -22-, and keyed thereto, are a series of agitator plates or disks -39-, which are arranged each between oppositely disposed baffle-plates -l5-, and which are of a diameter suiiicient to extend for a distance beyoiid the periphery of the oppositely disposed openings of the baille-plates. The lower agitator disk -lO-, however, is provided, on its under face, with a series of radially disposed ribs -41, which are inclined rearwardly to conform to the inclination of the bottom wall adjacent thereto. A series of slots or openings +42- are provided in the wall of the casing -12- and are disposed substantially in the plane of the lower disk -40-. For admitting the pulp, or other material to be treated, the cover-plate 20-f is formed with an opening or inlet -43- above which is arranged a funnel or hopper 4A- secured to the cover-plate by means of suitable fastenings.

Referring more particularly to the modified form of the invention. as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the numeral 50 denotes a slimes or tailings hopper, preferably made square to provide an inverted frusto-pyramidical shaped body, or the saineA may be frustoconical, if desired, supported upon a subweones hopper 51-, and secured thereto b v means of rivets or bolts -52-. Rising lcentrally of the tailings hopper -50-, is an agitating chamber or casing '-53-, formed with or secured at the lower edges of the walls of the hopper, and having its upper end projected slightly above the top edge of the latter, which upper end of said casing 53- is provided with an angularly disposed flange -54- to which is to be secured, by means of bolts 55, a cover-plate -56-. Rising centrally of the cover-plate -56- is a feed-hopper -57- opening into the agitating chamber, and having its upper end flared as atl -58-. The casing 53- is formed with sets of openings or discharge ports -59- and -60-, the former being disposed in a plane slightly below the upper edge of the hopper -50-, and the latter in a plane slightly above the bottom of the casing. Depending centrally of the feed-hopper -57- and the casing -53- is a pressure pipe -61-- having its lower end connected with a multiport coupling G2-4, supported upon the bottom wall of the casing immediately below the ydischarge ports -60-, and provided with radially projecting, upwardly discharging, nozzles, -63-, one for each port of said coupling. A series of openings G4- are provided in a connecting wall -65- between the lower end of the hopper --50- andthe casing 53- to establish communication between the hopper -50- and the sub hopper -51-. The lower wall of the sub-hopper -51- is provided with a tubular extension -66- interiorly threaded to receive the threaded connection -67- of a valved-outlet -68- by means of which the hopper and sub-hopper may be emptied of their contents. Extending around the upper edge of the hopper -50- is arranged a launder or trough-like member 69- whichis secured, at one side, flush ywith the edge of the hopper. as at 7G-f, and at its other or forward side to, but below, the edge of the hopper, b v means of an apron -71, which may or may not be continuous with the inner wall of the launder. A suitable discharge Q72- is provided for the drainage of the launder.

It is to be understood, however, that the launder -69 may be extended around a portion of the circumference of the hopper, in the one instance, or along only one or more of the sides of thesame, in the other instance, in which case that portion of the hopper not engaged by, or formed with, the

launder, would be extended sufficiently above that side or sides of the hopper, engaged by the launder, so as to prevent an over-flow of material therefrom.

In Fig. 8, of the drawing, there is shown a modified form of the agitator casing, designated 73-, which may be made square, as shown, instead of a cylindricalformation,

as hereinbefore described, and the same may be used in connection with either the frustoconical or the frustopyramidical shaped hoppers.

In the operation of the preferred form of the invention, after power has been applied to the pulley 38, the pulp, consisting of the crushed or pulverized ore, suitable chemicals, and an oil orother selective liquid, is introduced through the feed-hopper 4A- into the agitator casing --12-, and onto the first baille-plate, whence, it flows or drops to the first agitator-disk, and is then thrown outwardly therefrom, by the centrifugal action of the latter, against the wall of the casing and onto the succeeding baffle-plate. This action is repeated, throughout the several baille-plates and agitator-disks, until the bottom of the casing is reached, where, by reason of the inclined ribs 4land the cen trifugal action of agitator-disk provided with the Same, the pulp is thrown outwardly through the openings -42- and into the upper portion of the hopper -1, which forms the separating chamber of the apparatus. A

The thorough agitation of the pulp, during its passage through the agitator casing and its subsequent discharge into the separating chamber, causes ai separation or concentration of the minerals or metals from the sand or tails, and the former, due to less weighty v formation, is floated or frothed over the edge of the hopper -land into the launder -8, while the latter falls through the openings Q3-,- to the sub-hopper chamber. By reason of the inclination of the launder -8-, the concentrates readily flow to the discharge outlet --10 and into the discharge pipe -11. The tailings are discharged, when desired, through the valvedoutlet -5-, as a waste material, or the outlet --lmay be connected, in any suitable manner, not shown, to a second apparatus for further treatment.

In the operation of the modified form of the invention, the pulp is to be introduced, through the feed-hopper -57-, into the casing -53, simultaneously with the application of air, under pressure, through the pipe 6lto the nozzles --63-. Thorough agitation of the pulp continues until the hopper -50- fills, at which time, as in the first instance, the concentrates float or froth over the edge of the hopper 50- and into the launder --69-, while the tailings fall through the openings n(34# into the sub-hopper 5lto be discharged therefrom, when desired, in the manner hereinbefore described. The mineral or metal bearing froth {iows from the launder -9-,

and is conveyed therefrom to a concentrate storage, not shown.

It is to be understood, however, that various modifications of the construction set forth herein, and that ,suitable drive mcchansm for the operation of the machine, may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed, is

An apparatus for separating minerals from their ores comprising a hopper, a casing disposed within and centrally of said hopper, said casing being provided with discharge openings arranged slightly above the plane of its bottom wall, spaced bathe-plates within said casing and provided with centrally alined openings, a cover-plate for the casing, bearings carried by the cover-plate, a shaft depending from said bearings, agitator-disks carried by said shaft and operating between said bathe-plates, deflecting ribs formed on the under face of the lowermost of said agitator-disks, a feed-hopper carried by said cover and opening into said casing, a supporting flange connecting said casing and the inner wall of said hopper and provided with inlet openings communicating the lower portion of the hopper and disposed below the bottom wall of the casing, a valved-outlet arranged at the bottom of said hopper, and a launder surrounding the upper edge of the hopper and inclined with respect thereto.

In testimony whereof I afIiX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

RAY P. sAFFoLD.

Witnesses:

L. B. MCMAHAN, BERT WHITEHEAD. 

